On January 14, 2010 15-year-old Phoebe Prince, who had been relentlessly bullied, hung herself in a closet.

She wasn’t the first child to die as a result of bullying. But there was something about her, and about her story, that caught the attention of the world. As the details of her bullying emerged, it seemed clear that her death could have been prevented. There were signs. People knew. But they either didn’t do anything—or they didn’t do the right things.

Phoebe’s story didn’t just cause sadness. It caused outrage. Enough is enough, people said. We can’t let children die. We need to do something. …

Thanks to anti-bullying legislation signed into law yesterday by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, schools may soon be safer for kids. Parents and law makers are lauding the new bill. But how do kids feel about bullying and the recent attention the issue is receiving? Do they believe bullies (and responsible third parties) deserve harsher penalties? According to Thea Hickey, a 13 year old from Southborough, MA, yes.

Here, she writes about the trials and tribulations of middle school, and what it’s really like to be bullied.

Picture yourself as a teenager again. It’s that tender and delicate time in our lives when we’re most vulnerable to criticism, when we’re trying to figure out who we are and what we’d like to become as adults. You’re walking down the halls to your next period with your books tightly clutched to your body. What do you see? Friends getting along and students coming together as a happy community? If you do, I’d really love to go to your middle school. …